Occupational Therapist

Introduction
Occupational therapists work with people who have disabilities,
and their carers, who are having difficulties with personal,
domestic, work and leisure activities. They see children and
adults of all ages with a multitude of physical, mental health
& social problems.

They complete a functional assessment of the disabled person and
their carer(s) to establish what is required to maximise
independence and reduce risk. This may include provision of
simple and/or specialist equipment, or adaptations to the property,
or advise on rehousing. Advice can also be given on
compensatory techniques to enable the client to cope with
perceptual, cognitive, sensory and mobility deficits.
Occupational Therapists are registered by the Health & Care
Professions Council (HCPC). The qualifying degree allows the
practitioner to work holistically encompassing physical, social and
psychological aspects of disability. They have specialist
knowledge on housing design and advise housing departments on
mobility and adapted housing.

Work Environment
Occupational therapists are usually based in a social services
office in an occupational therapy or social work team. They
visit people at home, work, school or day centres. They work
closely with other professionals in health centres, hospitals,
other authority offices and the voluntary sector.

Daily Activities
Community Occupational Therapists visit people with disabilities
and their carers to assess their functional needs for independence
and care at home. There is a substantial amount of report writing
to comply with legal requirements and liaison with other bodies
including surveyors, manufacturers, disability organisations and
people working in Health Trusts. Case conferences and
multi-disciplinary meetings are common place.

Occupational Therapists offer advice & guidance to providers
of care in the community to allow them to work within local &
national health & safety guidelines, ensuring their staff work
in a safe environment. They organise their own diaries and
prioritise their workload of complex and highly complex cases but
do have regular supervision from a senior occupational therapist.
When the service has been satisfactorily completed, the therapist
would evaluate the outcome and record any remaining risks.
Most community occupational therapy services have a duty system and
where this occurs, all occupational therapists would contribute to
the rota. Some development work for the Service would be
undertaken by the occupational therapists such as liaison with
housing, wheelchair services and update and evaluation of equipment
issued. In-service and professional training is on going.

Skills & Interests
Community Occupational Therapy involves communicating with
vulnerable people about personal issues, all aspects and activities
of their lives. Therefore OTs must have the interest and
ability to create rapport easily with the general public.
They need to show empathy and be an effective listener but be able
to maintain professional objectivity to make a thorough
assessment. They need to have good organising skills, the
ability to take on responsibility and problem solve. An
interest in disability issues and relevant legislation would be
expected.

Entry Requirements
The professional qualification required is a degree in
Occupational Therapy. This can either be a three year
undergraduate or a two year postgraduate course, more details are
available from the College of Occupational Therapists.

Future Prospects & Opportunities
Opportunities for progression to senior occupational therapist's
posts including team manager exist. Some occupational
therapist's advance further to more senior management in social
service departments, e.g. Physical Disability Services or
Commissioning and Policy work.